…and Other Unlikely Places

Gillian Flynn: Author or Farmer?

“I had always, always, always wanted to write, and pictured myself as an author. From third grade on, my mom kept those scrapbooks about ‘what do you want to be when you grow up.’ I always said, ‘An author.’ Either an author or a farmer. But that was my aspiration. I was a big reader. My mom’s a reading professor — she literally taught reading for a living — so I was always surrounded by books and was a bookworm, which is where I think all writers start, with a love for books.

“I got into journalism because I was a practical Midwesterner and thought, ‘I can’t actually write books for a living so I’m going to do journalism, and that’ll be great too.’ And I loved it. I was at Entertainment Weekly for ten years and just had an absolutely great time. Then I started working on Sharp Objects just on my evenings and weekends. I would write at Entertainment Weekly all day doing interviews and going to set visits. I’d be on the set of Jackass: The Movie by day and then come back at night and try my hand at writing the book.”
Author/Screenwriter Gillian FlynnGone Girl2013 Interview with Brendan Dowling

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100 percent of the screenwriters who now have agents at one time didn’t have an agent. 100 percent of screenwriters who are now working at one time weren’t working. 100 percent of the screenwriters who have made money at screenwriting at one time time didn’t made a dime.” Michael Hauge Writing Screenplays that Sells page […]